Razor-blade stropper



May 26, 1925.

l W. S. NICHOLS RAZOR BLADE sTRoPPER Filed Oct. 6, 1921 Patented May 26, 1925.

UNITED stains Parent ortica.

WINFIELD s. NICHOLS, or nooxronn, itLINoIs.

, A y Razon-mann senorrna.

Application ledctober `6, 1921. `Serial No.' 505,708.

Be it known that I, VINFIELD S. NioHoLs, a citizen o't the United States, havingresidence in Rockford, inthe county of VVinnehago and State oi lllinois, have 'invented certain newV and useful Improvements in Razor-Bla de Stroppers, of which the 'following is a specification, reference being had lo the accompanying drawings, 'forming a part thereof.

The purpose ot this invention is to provide an improved mechanism for sharpeninguv razor blades, particularly such as are used in various types of safety razors and which cannot be conveniently held for stropping' in the ordinary way. It consists of various features and elements of construction hereinafter described and shown in the drawings, as indicated by the claims.

ln the drawings: l

Fig-ure l is a side elevation of a stropping machine embodying this invention.`

Figure 2 is a longitudinal medial section of the same.

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken as indicated at line 3-3 on Figure 2.

Figure Ll is a top plan view with certain parts broken away and. shown in section.

Fifi'nre 5 is a detail section ot thebladeholding means being italien as indicated at crum a. blade-holder consisting' oli' a carrier plate, 7 rigidly'secured in a slot or groove v'termed in the cylindrical member, t, Aand a co-ol'ierating' clamping` plate, S, overlying;` the part, `7, in such position that their plane of contact is substantially a radial pla-ne of the. cylinder, /l-V. A blade suoli as the doubleedged jafer blade, 9, is clamped between the plates, 7 and 8, `by means` olf afclamp screw, l0, and a nut, 11, tliereon,the screw, 10, beingv rigidly in theplate, 7j For accommodating apertured blades such as those of Vthe ,-(fillette type, the clamping plate, 8, is formed with annular protrusions 'or bosses,` l2, which register with the openings in the blade and also with openings fin the plate, 7, as indicate-d in Figure Baci; of their clamping` edges the plates, 7 and 8, are curved apart at 7 and 8, thns providing* aUchanne-l or clearance space between them which avoids metalli-c contact oli the clamping Amembers with the inner eden oil the bla-de, 9. A i

In the alternative form oit clampingl device sho-wn in Figures G, 7 and`8, lior a singifle-'edged blade such as that shown at 13 'havingfits unsharpened edge provided with a folded reinliorcen'ient, lll, the bend or oliset, 7, and the corresponding` bend or olin set, 1520i the substitute clamping' plate, l5, affords space. 'for acwmmodatingY this reinforcement, la. i rl'here beine; no apertures in this type loli blade, it is retained `in thc holder by means et hors or clips, 1G, bent down at the ends et the clamping' plate, l5, over- `hanging' the ends ot the blade and the edgijcs oit the lower plate, 7.

` irorided with O'uidino means for the stro a' l e e such to permit the machine itself to be reciproca-ted onV the strop, `and also having means tor automatically reversing the blade at the end ol each stroke, or rather at the commencement et' each reverse'stroke. ,As shown in Figures l and 2, theQra-me comprises side plates', l, transversely connected by a cross bar, 2, at the middle of their length and by spacers, 3, at the ends.' Directly above the cross bar, 2, is journaled a cylindrical member, 4, with its trunnions, 5, carried in bushings, 6, secured in the side plates, 1. The member, serves to lulk, At the -ends o'f the 'liramethere are journaled on the spacing members, 3, a pair ol guide rollers, 17, ttor the strop which is indi-- caledat 18. Midway between these guide rollers thereare loosely mounted a pair ot 'friction rollers, '19, preferably made ol'liln'e or similar lone'fwearing material., vand retained in 'the `iframe by their reduced ends or trunnions, Q0, engaging elongated apertures, 2l, in theside plates, l. The friction rollers, 19, are thus positioned 'tor simultaneous contact with the cylindrical member, el, and the strop, 18; preferably "they are symnfietrical with 'respect to `the diametral plane oi said cylindrical member, et, which biseets the an` gie of swing of the blade-holder. Said friction rollers, 19, are also located so that the strop, 18, in passing over the guide rollers,

17, and under the friction rollers, 19, is de-y Cil remainder oil the stroke.

flected from a straight-line course; thus when the strop is held under tension Vthere will be a strong frictional engagement between said strop and .the rollers, 19, serving to rotate them as the 'l'raine is reciprocat'ed upon the strop. Such roation of the rollers, 19, is transmitted to the cylindrical member, 4, for swinging the' blade-holder through its range so as to reverse the blade atV the commencement of each stroke and cause it to trail over the strop throughout the The surface of the cylinder, 4, is a smooth metallic surface, preferably oi hardened steel so that when the swinging movement of .the blade-holder has been ellected the rollers, 19, will slip aga-inst thisV smooth surface of the cylinder, 4, and continue their own rotation without any'substantial slippage with 'respect to the strop. 'llhus the friction rollers, 19, will remain truly cylindrical; it' in .time :they wear down slightly, the play of their :trunnions, 20, in the apertures, 21, will still vpermit operative contact ofthe rollers, 19, with the cylinder, 4; and the surface. of the cylinder, 4, being harder than the friction sur faces of .the rollers, 1.9, will n-ot tend to-fwear flat at any particular line of contact, .but

will itself remain substantial-ly a true cylinder and will always respond readily to the turning action of the rollers, V19, atfthe .com-

mencement of each stroke on the-strop.

Being loosely retained byy the elongated apertures, 21, the rollers, 1.9, will not strong- .ly engage the-cylinder, 4, except when the strop, 18, is held under tension; therefore it,

is desirable to provide means for vholding the sharp .ed-ge of the blade in the bladeholder oil' from the surface of thestrop whenever the strop tension is relaxed; other wise the machine might be slid` over the relaxed strop without reversing the bladcholder to'trailing position, -inwhieh case the blade would out and injure the strop. This danger is entirely obviated by providing yielding cushion springs, l22, secured by screws, 23, to the side plates, l, of the frame. These springs are shown as short coils with their ends lextending transversely of the traine so vas toi-each under the l.radially eX- tending Ablade-holder and support -it normal- -ly in the position shown in dotted vlines in Figure .2. Each of the .coil springs, 22,

is wrapped loosely on a flanged drum, 24,

which also constitutes vthe nut .of .the screw, 23:; the inner .end of the spring, 22, being lixedly engaged with .the drum, 24, it :becomes possibile vto adjust the drum and the spring rotatably so as to .bring the extending end of the spring exactly to the `:position required for holding .the .blade olf from the strop by a safe distance. As soon as the strop, 18, is drawn taut and the machine vis reciprocated upon it, the rictional engagement of the rollers, 19, with the cylindrical member, 4, will turn the latter in opposition to the cushion spring, 22, bringing device, I prefer :to mah-e the handle, v25, screw threaded at one end so as to be removable from the cross bar,12',fin which it is lixed 'or use.

I claim 1. A blade-stropping` machine comprising a frame with a swinging blade-holder 'fulcrumed thereon, a cylindrical -ineinlier oper- ,atively connectedy with Vthe blade-holder, a strop guided 'in thelirame and a pair of friction rollers positioned tor simultaneous riotional engagement with the cylindrical member and the stropA 'for transmitting rota tion to the-former .toswing lthe blade-holder on its ulerum as .the Aframe Ais reciprocated on the strop. f

2. In the combination defined in claim 1, said friction rollers being disposed sym-- metrically with'respecft to the fulcrum axis at equal Vdistan-ces on opposite sides of a plane which bisects the angle ofswing of the holder..

8. In a blade-stropping machine adapted to be reciprocated bodily upon a strop supported in a substantially straight line under tension the combination of a frame provided with guides for a strop; a blade-holder mounted in the frame for pivotal motion for carrying-a blade ,to be stropped; 4a pair of studs mounted in the frame at opposite sides of the pivots of the blade-holder; and

torsion-springs mounted on the respective studs and provided with parts for lifting a blade from the strop whenever' the strop tension is relaxed.

4. .The combination, with a strop sup ported for use in asubstantially. straight line, of a frame threaded Auponvthe strop lor reciprocation thereon, a rocker carrying .a blade-holder, and..frictimi-rollcrs loosely journalled in ythe frame for actuating the being :symmetrically .movable toward and .from vthe rocker by reason ol said loose journalling. l

In testimony whereo'lf, I have hereunto set my Ahand this 3rd day of October., 192.1.

'WINFIELD s. YNionoLsj 

